Hello! My name is Ayaka Ito, from Yokohama, Japan. Probably my career path which I have been walking through may be a little bit different from that of other sophomore’s. I graduated from university in Japan in 2008, and worked in a company for 2 years as a businessperson. In 2010, I had a hard time to decide which is better for me, studying abroad that was kind of my dream from the youth, or changing a job.

Fortunately I found Maryville College through my scholarship program, but still hesitated to go for it. At that time I was 24 years old. Am I too old as an undergraduate student? What is the significance of studying in the college for 4 years again in the USA, with a bunch of students who is much younger than me? However, the answers were simple; it is never too late to learn something, as far as my eagerness to study abroad is strong enough. Also I cannot forget all of hearty supports of my parents and friends; they are truly making my stay a fabulous one. There are over 5000 colleges in the USA, and their educational system and teaching method vary. The characteristic which makes Maryville College so distinctive is absolutely the intimacy between students and faculty, and its amazing campus. If you see around, you will easily find many squirrels, and be able to see fireflies twinkle during summer time. The campus located at the foot of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, which is stunningly beautiful. Also, the numbers of students are small, but the percentage of international students is very high instead. This makes Maryville College such a wonderful, diverse setting, and lets students enjoy life, cross-culturally. Basically, we are like a big international family!

Because of my previous working experience, I was majoring international business. But during the freshman’s year, through liberal arts courses I found my inclination to study about English education, so I added the ESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) major. At first I was trying to minor in both of these, but from my advisor’s recommendation, I decided to set them up as double majors.

I’ve been busy, because major courses require me to take approximately three times more classes than minor. The good thing is that internationals don’t need to take second language classes, since English is already a second language. Also, compared to other majors, international business majors are allowed to take many elective courses. Thanks to all of this, I can manage my schedule by putting most of my ESL major requirements to international business electives.

Maryville College gives me lots of other opportunities besides studying. I am a regular member of MC Dance Ensemble and have a leadership position of Global Citizenship Organization. In addition, since last August I’ve been doing Peer Mentoring to support freshmen and transfer students. All of them are so much fun and it's an exciting way to spend my time and energy. Furthermore, I’ve been involved in fundraising after the Japanese earthquake and tsunami last year. Thanks to everyone's hard work, we have collected over $13,000 donations eventually. This experience will be unforgettable and is absolutely the proudest thing ever that I’ve accomplished.

The mission statement of Maryville College “Stretch Your Mind” actually has a strong power to encourage all students to bring their best to the next level. At Maryville you can have a perfect environment to concentrate on your studies, and all the dedicated faculty members are there to support your effort. What is your ambition? What do you want to achieve from the heart? Nobody can decide what you want to do but you. Your possibility is infinite and all in front of you.